He may not be competing in the Olympics, but based in London, you can be damn sure that street-artist Banksy will have something to say about the Games. His two latest stencils, “Hackney Welcomes the Olympics” and “Going For Mould” are unfortunately struggling to win favour with British authorities, who have not taken his artwork lightly.

The Olympic Committee, in conjunction with the British Transport Police, are on the hunt for alleged street artists, and have imposed a ban on all such persons to prevent them from coming within a one mile radius of any Olympic venue. This has also led to walls which have remained graffiti’d for the past few years being cleaned up by the city in the bid to make a good impression on tourists.

Banksy’s “Going For Mould”

“Hackney Welcomes the Olympics”

Whilst the locations of Banksy’s two latest works are still not known, there is a very real threat that they will be taken down, given the current drive against graffiti. But does Banksy fall into this category, or does he transcend the simple act of tagging that is so often described as vandalism? He is, after all, London’s most famous contemporary artist, and in a recent auction, his works sold for over R5 million.

Where exactly do you draw the line between urban decay and social commentary?

[Source: Yahoo!]